He was wrong. The day was interminable. And it was only eleven a.m. Their workers didn’t all show up at once, so he had to announce what happened so many times, he had a headache. Becca switched him to tea after a few coffees, but he wasn’t sure the lack of caffeine helped douse his desire to strangle a few people.
Those that knew him or Craig or Jilly were sad and treated him with kid gloves. That was bad enough. Worse, though, were the people who didn’t know them and acted the way one Dom did as he walked away. “What the fuck is it to me some slave died?”
If Becca hadn’t been sitting on his lip, he might have punched the guy so hard he would have had to be air lifted to the hospital.
Becca glared daggers at the Dom’s back. “What an ass,” she hissed under her breath, spitting like a kitten.
Kendrick smiled and kissed her forehead. “Agreed, little one. Now why don’t you go get us something for lunch? Coffee and tea is all good, but I could go with something a little more filling.”
She placed a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. Her soft hazel eyes searched his. “You’ll be okay until I get back?”
“I promise not to deck the next jerk who comes by,” he promised.
“But what about the one after that?” she said and stood up. He smacked her buttocks.
“No sass. And lots of food.”
She flounced her rear end, reaching back to flip the micro skirt she wore. “Yes, Sir.” He found himself chuckling for a moment as she walked away. Until he remembered what made that day a fuck-all day and he sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“Hey.” Alice squatted down next to him and he looked over at her. Her eyes were all red, her nose puffy.
“You look like shit,” he said.
“Ditto. Now, I just had a talk with your girl.”
He cocked a brow. That couldn’t be good. When Alice had a talk with a sub, they usually ended up doing something incredibly non-sub like.
“She told me she’s off to get you lunch. I told her to come collect you once she’s got it, walk into the woods somewhere, eat, and do anything she can think of to get your mind off today.”
“There’s too much to do—”
“Honey,” she said softly as she shook her head. “People are working their asses off picking up the slack. And if you don’t take some time for yourself, you’re going to get surly, grouchy, and most likely get into a brawl. And since I know Joseph’s the one who usually goads you into it because he knows exactly what buttons to push, I want you to go with Becca. It will be a better way to get the stress out. And my man won’t end up with a broken nose.”
“That was only the once,” he reminded her with a wry smile. “He forgot to duck.”
A small smile quirked at the edge of her lips. “You need to let off steam, Kendrick. You’re hurting but staying strong for everyone. Go fuck Becca until she passes out. You’ll feel better for it.”
He snorted. “Sex instead of a fight? It’s going to have to be one hell of a fuck fest to get rid of what’s in here.” He patted his chest where the ache just seemed to grow and grow. It was now in his shoulders, neck, and head.
“Then do it.” She reached into her pocket and handed over a pill. “Warning. If you find you have a hard-on after four hours, seek Dallas’s assistance. But if you fuck Becca hard enough to get rid of all the pain, I don’t think the four hours will be a problem.”
Amused and chagrined, he pulled her onto his lap. “I love you,” he said with a laugh that was filled with pain instead of happiness.
She hugged him, her arms wonderfully tight around his neck. “We’ve got this, Kendrick. You aren’t alone. Lean on Becca for a while. I promise the world won’t collapse while you do.”